


Wind Of Change (Scorpions, 1991)

by MarmeLady_Orange



Series: MAGNET HEARTS [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood Friends, Dean and Sam are absent from this story but they are mentionned, Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Mention of dead parent, Middle School, Set in 1991, Using the Cas/Dean tag because the series is Cas/Dean, no relationship yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-30
Updated: 2014-06-30
Packaged: 2018-02-06 21:08:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1872510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarmeLady_Orange/pseuds/MarmeLady_Orange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel is happy, spending all his free time with his friends Charlie, Dean, and Sam. But that is until John Winchester comes back to take his boys and move them far away from Sioux Falls. And this is only the first of many changes to come.</p><p>***</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wind Of Change (Scorpions, 1991)

**Author's Note:**

> I know… Don't worry guys, this one story should be the last one without any real Dean and Castiel interraction. Actually, in this one, there's none whatsoever. But I think it does establish what's to come.
> 
> I hope you'll still like it, even though I'm a big fat liar to use the Dean/Cas tag on this.
> 
> It's mostly so those who don't want to read Destiel don't get tricked… you know?
> 
> ***

Once the snow had started falling that winter, it was as if it would never stop, to Castiel Shurley’s utter delight. He was able to spend most of his week-ends sliding down Carver Hill with his friends Charlie Bradbury and Dean Winchester, who had received his own green crazy carpet from his uncle Bobby at Christmas, as did little Sammy.

So every Saturday and Sunday mornings, the four of them would meet up at the end of Mr. Carver’s land, where it dipped down towards the now frozen creek. Other kids that lived in the neighbourhood would come too but none were as dedicated as the four friends.

Because that’s what they were after all, friends. Charlie and Dean never were really girlfriend and boyfriend and had told Castiel they only had been messing around. Charlie even made sure to emphasize her thoughts on the subject with mock vomiting and dramatic black outs in the snow.

And for some reason, that made Castiel really happy. He never said anything about it and Dean never asked him again if he wanted a boyfriend. Which pretty much confirmed for Castiel that it had only been a game Dean was playing that day. A weird game, but a game nonetheless.

They were still on their school break for the Holidays and it was the last Sunday before having to go back to school. That was the day when it all started to change. Castiel got to the hill first, tempted to do a solo ride before his friends would get there but he decided to be patient instead.

Soon enough, he saw Charlie walking towards him, her own red carpet floating behind her. Since they were neighbours, she would always arrive with Sam and Dean in tow, but not this time. Also, Castiel could see that her stride was not as peppy as usual, as if making it all the way to their preferred spot was paining her greatly.

As she got closer, the tears in her eyes didn’t help make that impression better.

“What’s going on?” asked Castiel before she could even say a word.

“They’re gone!” she replied, trying to keep herself together. “Dean and Sammy are gone. Their dad came this morning and they had to leave. They left the state, Cas!” she said again, unable to keep her tears at bay.

“What? Like for a vacation, right?”

“We start school tomorrow, Cas. They’re just gone because their dad got a job somewhere and they had to leave with him. Mr. Singer is not happy with Mr. Winchester. Changing school in the middle of the year like that.” Charlie explained between sniffles.

“So it’s just us again?” Castiel only commented, too shocked to think of anything else to say.

“Yeah… Dean has my number and my address but he doesn’t have yours. He says he’s gonna write me as soon they have a house.”

“At least you’ll have a pen pal.” Castiel said, smiling even though he was a little jealous of his friend.

“He can write to you too at my home, if you want. I’ll give you his address when I get it.” Charlie told him, half hugging him before going to sit on top of the hill. “Come on Cas. Let’s slide.”

•

With summer came many realisations, especially with Charlie’s six weeks stay at Camp Chitaqua; Castiel Shurley didn't have that many friends. The only other real friend he ever had left over six months ago and he never hear back from him. Charlie didn’t either, so that was helping making it a little less painful. Not less sad, but less painful.

Still, he was to be having one of the most boring summers ever until his cousin Gabriel came to live with them. He was fresh out of college, having pulled the plug on yet another major he didn’t feel like completing. His dad pretty much didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore so Chuck, Castiel’s father, had agreed to let him live with them as long as he made himself useful.

So that’s how Gabriel Milton became the Shurleys’ butler, sort of speak. Of course he really wasn’t, but having the young man home full time pretty much gave Chuck the liberty of barricading himself in his study to just drink, write and enjoy being miserable. The departure of Anna’s and Castiel’s mother, almost ten years ago, had pretty much demolished the man and hadn’t he been a remotely successful author they would probably have ended up living under a bridge.

While Anna made sure she was spending as little time as possible at home with the family, Gabriel seemed happy to spend all his available time entertaining his cousin. He had become the household’s official cook and Castiel could honestly say he hadn’t eaten this well in his whole life. Gabe also made sure the home was spotless even though he didn’t necessarily do all the work himself, which the kids didn't appreciate so much. Most of all, he showed Castiel how to have fun even when there was nothing to do.

They went on hikes in the woods, bought old rollerskates from a thrift shop and played hockey in the streets, made unwise scientific experiments in the kitchen, played video games on the Super Nintendo Console Gabriel had hooked up in his bedroom. But more importantly they talked, something that Castiel never got to do with his dad or even his sister. Like this one talk they had during a particularly violent rainstorm. The power was out and all they could do was play cards with an old camping gas lamp as a sole light source.

"So kiddo... how come you got no friends coming 'round here?" Gabriel asked after their last game of Go Fish.

"I don't have that many friends. Well I got Charlie but she's at camp. Plus father doesn't really like when we have friends over."

"That's it? You got this one friend? Is she your girlfriend?" he inquired, waggling his eyebrows.

"No, she's just my friend. My best friend. We had that other friend too but he's gone now..."

"What do you mean he's gone?" Gabriel asked around a mouthful of Junior Mints.

"They moved away. He didn't even write to Charlie like he was supposed to."

"Or to you."

"I don't think he has my address. Anyway, father would not want me to write to him."

"Why the hell not?"

"It's Dean Winchester." Castiel confided after hesitating a little, making sure he wasn’t talking too loud.

"Who’s Dean Win... oh, isn't that the kid who broke your arm? You're friends now?"

"Yeah... he's really nice you know. And funny. He's got a little brother too, Sammy. He plays with him all the time. Anna never liked playing with me. But now it's like you're my big brother, right?"

"Yeah, kiddo, it's like I'm you big brother." Gabriel smiled, amused to see Castiel so lively. "You really miss that kid then?"

"Yeah... I wish he'd come back to Sioux Falls."

"Maybe he will. In the meantime you should try making some new friends. You can't have just one you know."

"Charlie will be back soon. We'll be okay."

"Whatever you say, little dude. So, how do you feel about learning to play some poker?"

•

When school started again, Castiel and Charlie had to go to middle school, and they both felt damn lucky to have each other to take their first steps in their new school. Not only was it bigger but, unlike the year before, they were back to being the youngest ones there. Well, them and a buttload of other students, like most of their class from the year before and some from other schools too.

So, really, it wasn't as bad as going to a school where they wouldn't know anybody. Like Dean was probably experiencing himself. All because he had to move to some stupid city somewhere. School had started again and they still hadn't heard from him.

When they did hear about the Winchester boys, it was almost Christmas again. It was nothing much, a simple postcard sent to Charlie’s home without even a return address. But Castiel had been glad to see that they thought of him, the Christmas wishes being extended to him as well.

It was a somewhat generic Kansas postcard, not pertaining to a particular city. That's when Charlie told him how they might have gone back to Lawrence, where they lived before their mom passed. And that’s when Castiel realised that he hadn’t even known all that much about the Winchesters.

Charlie didn’t know much either as apparently it had always been a difficult subject for Dean to talk about. But he had at least told her that when Sammy was six months old, and he himself was four, there had been a fire in the house and their mom had died. That’s when they had moved to Sioux Falls where lived their old family friend, Mr. Singer.

And that’s all they ever heard about Dean Winchester and his brother. Castiel and Charlie completed their 6th grade in their new school without too much problems. They made some new friends but, as usual, nothing as strong as the friendship they shared with one another.

“Why don’t you come to camp with me, Cas? I really had fun last year.” Charlie asked him on their last day of school.

“My dad won’t let me.”

“Why not?”

“Don’t know. I think he’s afraid I’ll get hurt or something.”

“I didn’t get hurt. It’s so much fun. We even get to play those kind of medieval games and stuff. Last year, I was elected queen.”

“I know… you told me.”

“Can’t you ask again?”

“I can ask, but I know he’ll say no. I’ll be okay with Gabriel.”

“But he's old…”

“He’s not _that_ old. And he likes to hang out with me. He’s different than my dad or Anna, you know?”

“Fine… but I’ll miss you!” she said, hugging him.

“Don’t you just leave in three weeks?”

“Yeah… so?” she replied, not letting go of her friend.

“Nothing!” he just said, hugging her back.

And once again, he spent his summer hanging out with his cousin-slash-brother. Slowly, the thoughts of a boy named Dean and his brother named Sam were stored in the back of his mind and he was not to think about them ever again.

Until school started back again, that is…

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd, as always. This one was more difficult to write, for some reason. I think it's the lack of Dean, hence the lack of Destiel, that made it so hard. I had to find a reason for Cas to exist!!!!
> 
> Okay, I'm exagerating a bit, but yeah. It was a bit hard to write anyway. Next one should be easier because stuff will REALLY start happening! :-)
> 
> Not mine… but I don't think Mr. Kripke wants it so… yeah… please enjoy it for free.


End file.
